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Any book recommendations?

After seeing Argo last week, I was inspired to reread the fantastic graphic novel Persepolis, which tells the story of the author's childhood in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Her neighbors' homes are bombed, and her relatives are imprisoned. Her father considers fleeing to America, but then asks his wife, "I can become a taxi driver and you a cleaning lady?" As she grows up, the girl's rebellious streak endangers her life. Her personal story is gripping, heartbreaking and surprisingly funny. I devoured it in three days, and now I'm really looking forward to reading the authors' other two books, Persepolis 2 (the sequel) and Embroideries (about her female relatives' sex lives!).

Have you read any good books recently? I'd love to get your recommendations...

Persepolis is amazing! It's also been made into a great movie that was illustrated by hand (black and white, of course!). If you rent the DVD, be sure to check out the special features to learn about how it was made. I was fascinated!

Hi Joanna! I am currently reading The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Not often can I say that "I cannot put this book down", but, I cannot put this book down. < http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Fielding-A-Novel/dp/0316126691 >

Maybe more for Alex, the dog lover but also for you. A stunning story, a bit heart wrenching as well, about love, family and life.

The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein.

“In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog's master whispers into the dog's ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat or fat is placed in his mouth to sustain his soul on its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog's soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.

I learned that from a program on the National Geographic channel, so I believe it is true. Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready.

It is a fascinating story. I read it for a class in college. We then watched the movie, which was done in the same style. We, as females, don't know inequality like women in Muslim countries know inequality.

I was able to speak with a family friend who grew up in Iran and experienced certain aspects of that life, too.

Have you read Julia Child's 'My Life in France'? I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend. She writes with such excitement, passion, and humor, you will find yourself smiling. I laughed out loud several times. Also, the love between her husband, Paul Child, is like no other. You will swoon!

ps, I also enjoyed Persepholes as well as 2 others that you've mentioned, The History of Love (ADORED!) and The Glass Castle. Happy reading!

I saw this movie in a university film class and it reminded me of a friend I met in Italy. Later that summer I went back to Italy and visited this friend; she too commented on how the movie was an eerie similarity to her own story. Interesting, right? New book recommendations are the best, thanks again!

Oh! Also! How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran was fantastic. Smart, hilarious, and completely enjoyable. Next up is Travels With Myself and Another, about the life of Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's third wife, and a fearless wit it seems. I mostly like memoirs.

Hi Joanna! I'm half Persian so I was excited to read that you liked Persepolis. If you're interested in Iran, can I also recommend Lipstick Jihad or Honeymoon in Tehran? As for non-Persian related book recommendations, I just read "Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History." It's interesting and bizarre! Here is the review of the book on NPR:

Another fascinating comic book is Maus by Art Spiegelmann. Not a very cheerful story, but it is simply amazing. I couldn't stop reading. Now I just started letters of JRR Tolkien, and I am loving it. And I agree with Sarah above, My Life in France by Julia Child is absolutely lovely!

I'm reading Call the Midwife at the moment. I'm enjoying the insights into life in 1950s London and the history of childbirth. It's been adapted for TV - it was on PBS recently I think and there's a new season on the BBC in the UK at the moment.

I just read Persepolis for the first time, last week and i love it. Very inspiring and interesting how true she talks about the black and white point of view that kids see and repeat and how slowly they start to get it. I´ve been on a reading frenzy, i´ve forgotten how much i love reading. I finished Contact by Carl Sagan and it´s such a beautiful poetic novel. Also read Wild, lost and found in the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed which was a good read about when the author was about 26 and hiked the PCT alone after her mother died.

I´d love to hear recommendation from you, Joanna, i want to read a book by week (this year's resolution, one of them :) and would love to add some that aren't the classics and such.

I recently joined goodreads.com to share books and receive recommendations. I haven't reviewed all the books I have read in my lifetime like some people do, but I have included most of the books I have read since I joined. The site will recommend books based on your personal ratings of what you have read and you can see what my friends are reading, too. :)

I just finished These is my Words by Nancy Turner. It's a fictional diary account of this fierce female, Sarah, struggling her way through the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. Super inspiring, and it's based on real diary entries from the author's great-grandmother. Finished it in 3 days :)

I just read the Paris Wife, it's a new book based on Hadley Richardson (the first wife of Ernest Hemingway) and her experience as his wife. It's a beautifully written story of love and heartbreak in marriage. Highly recommend it!

The best book I've read lately is Bob Spitz's Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child. If you are interested in following Persepolis up with more Persian-themed books, try Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran and her memoir, Things I've Been Silent About.

Just finished reading "Running Away to Home" by Jennifer Wilson. Its tells the tale of a family's journey to their ancestral homeland of Croatia and the people they find there. Great read and fascinating look into a little known area of the world, beyond just the islands and coast of Croatia.

i saw the movie based on the book and it was excellent! highly recommend it!

just started reading the happiness project, and it's so interesting! i've only finished the first chapter, but am so inspired, i've already started my own happiness project. it's definitely a must read!

Just finished Embroideries -- it was a fast and wonderful read! Keeping with the Iran theme, Hooman Majd's book The Ayatollah Begs to Differ is a fascinating and enjoyable look at Iranian culture and politics. Majd splits his time between the US and Iran, so his perspective is really interesting.

I'm always surprised that no one mentions "The Bronze Horseman" by Paulina Simons - or "Tully", or "Girl in Times Square", also by the same author. They are epic, beautiful stories and I have never met a girl who didn't LOVE "The Bronze Horseman". I first read it when I was 17 and it has been my favourite book since then.

my book club just read Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and I thoroughly enjoyed it! this month we are reading The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman. I haven't started yet but I am really looking forward to it!

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel is wonderful! I read it for a literature class and it's one of my favorite books now! If you're not looking for a graphic novel, I would highly recommend An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin; beautiful writing, brilliant characters, and amazing NY art scene.

I can't get enough off Bill Bryson books, specially the travel guides. They are hilarious!!! Life is quite difficult so I'm always happy to read nice, funny books. And these books have the two things in life that I love the most: travels and laughter!

I've been on a nonfiction fixation, listening to the audiobooks by Joseph E. Ellis about the revolution and founding fathers. ("American Creation" and "Founding Brothers"). They are surprisingly engaging and accessible, especially in audio book format.

If you want some funny, heart-warming reading try Chickens, Mules, and Two Old Fools by Victoria Tweed. Victoria has a way of writing that is unpretentious and rare. Really welcoming you into her home and heart.

Right now, I'm reading Katherine Boo's "Behind the Beautiful Forevers," and it's fantastic. Her writing is so skilled that you forget you're reading narrative nonfiction – that's how rich the story is. I love reading great books and cooking meals inspired by them, and I blog about that at www.paperplatesblog.com. I'd be honored if you'd take a look!

i read persepolis with my mom, well, at the same time, when i was too little to understand it. she was busy so i got ahead (as it often happened) and was so disoriented and sad. so then my mom rented the movie and we watched it together. i remember how it changed me so much, somewhere inside, and how my vision of the world became so true and confusing.

It's hard to describe it as it's so personal. It's both beautiful and heartbreaking. An extraordinary true story of blossoming love strengthening through a battle with cancer. It's really powerful and poetic. I highly suggest this one but have a box of tissues at the ready!

Since you've been reading graphic novels, it might be fun to follow it up with Radioactive by Lauren Redniss. It is an illustrated (and glo-in-the-dark!) biography of Marie Curie. After that, read Madam Curie by her daughter Eve Curie for a more detailed and heartfelt version. Those books are the 1, 2 punch of Marie Curie biographies! I loved reading them back to back.

Have you read Salman Roushdie's memoirs? The book is called "Joseph Anton" and it's stunning! I haven't read anything that strong in several years, I think (well, putting Julian Barnes aside, whom I also started reading recenly).

Funny enough, it will pick up on the Iran story, because Roushdie's book is pretty much about fighting for personal freedom and freedom of speech at times when Iran was threatening to kill him.

I saw someone else mention Tana French, and I would highly recommend her book, 'In the Woods'. Also just started 'This is How You Lose Her' by Junot Diaz for book club. So far I've been completely hooked!

I have read so many things I've loved recently:Shine, Shine, Shine - gorgeously weirdDear Life - I stopped at the end of every story to really think about itRules of Civility - a fast read, but especially fun if you live in NYThis Is Where I Leave You - funny and sad

I also recently reread the first few books in the Anne of Green Gables series and was pleasantly surprised by how funny and readable they were.

And weirdly - my friend insisted I read the Hunger Games (I was SO opposed) and I found myself devouring them. Quick and engrossing!

I totally agree! LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I admired her before I read the book, but adored her after. Her writing is so engaging. I followed it up with "As Always, Julia" which is a collection of the letters she wrote her friend Avis in Boston. That one is a great read as well-by the time I finished both I felt as if she was my favorite aunt.

I feel like shouting to everyone how much I love the book Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeoemi. I asked a literature professor friend for her top book recommendations and she only gave me two but this was her #1. It is written as a series of short stories which is wonderful if you only have 15/30/60 minutes to spend at a time reading, although I can loose myself for an afternoon in this book.

The Dude and the Zen Master - I think I've recommended this book to everyone I know. If you love The Big Lebowski, you'll appreciate this book - just a conversation between Jeff Bridges and his friend Bernie (the Zen Master) all about life and becoming a little more 'zen,' but not in the super cheesy way.

Hi Joanna, greetings from Poland. I love your blog, especially parts on motherhood, though I am not a mother yet. As it comes to books, I'm kind of a reading freak, so a lot of things come to my mind. But if you into history of Iranian Revolution I would recommend the book "Shah of Shahs" by Ryszard Kapuscinski. I would also recommend all of his other books (his one of my favourites authors :) ), but this one is on the subject and it is one of his greatest.

I just finished The Fault In Our Stars by John Green in two days. It is a story about a teenage girl and boy diagnosed with cancer who meet at a support group and fall in love with each other. Sounds corny, but it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. So good!

Agreed, Persepolis was great! I would highly recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower - it's such a poignant coming-of-age story, with an authentic point of view. (The movie was pretty good, too.) It's been quite a while since I've read it, but I also really liked The Sea by John Banville. His writing style is very lyrical, and reminded me a lot of Nabokov.

Oh gosh... thousands. Currently reading The History of Love which is good but really gets going in the middle and it all comes together. Next on the list are The Lighthouse and HHhH, both of which look fantastic, though very different.Also just finished re-reading Atonement (always a favourite), The Paris Wife, and Suite Francaise. All incredible books!!!

I read Persepolis my freshman year of college. I really loved, it was way different than the books students are normally required to. I am personally a fantasy reader, though the books need to be gripping in order to keep me interested. Right now I'm loving A Song of Fire and Ice (the Game of Thrones book), and I've always loved His Dark Materials. I find all of my books with a website called Shelfari.com, you should check it out!

The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak is likely the most amazing book I've ever read. The main character reminds me a lot of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, which I also loved. The Book Thief is one of those books that was entertaining to read but also turned my stomach into knots at times and brought tears to my eyes. I recommend it to everyone I can.

Personnaly i liked Chicken with plums better than embroideries and if you want to stay in the graphic novel department i can higly recommand the books by Guy Delisle: i just finished the one about his stay in Burma and the one about Jerusalem and realy enjoyed them. He writes in French but his books are translated to English.

There's also a biography about the Dalai Lama in graphic novel. It's called The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai and it's a very fun and interesting read.

Juliet by Anne Fortier. I am in the middle of it and it is phenomenal. It is a story about a young Juliet who discovers she is a descendant from the Juliet from Romeo & Juliet. The young Juliet must now uncover her family history and finds a great secret that is related to the curse in Shakespeare's story. Hard to explain hah, but it is great!! Definitely check it out- other descriptions will trump mine for sure.

So many great suggestions! I'll have to add the Art of Fielding and Behind the Beautiful FOrevers to my list.

I just read an interesting non-fiction book by Steven Pinker (published 10 years ago-I'm late to the party)called The Blank Slate:The Modern Denial of Human Nature. I especially liked the chapter Children as it alleviated some of my mommy guilt about not doing everything perfectly when it comes to child rearing. Nicole

I just finished "Escape from Camp 14". It's non-fiction, about a North Korean who escaped to China and eventually to the US. It's a pretty short book but fascinating. What goes on in North Korea is horrifying and most people don't seem to know much about it, other than making fun of Kim Jong Il. It was a real eye opener.

We just read this for book club and I LOVED it!! I highly recommend as well. It's about a girl coming of age in a time when the earths rotation suddenly starts to slow. So while she's going through the usual pangs of adolescence, the world around her is changing and slowly dying. It's so good!

We also read Persepolis, but I actually missed that month's book club and never got around to reading it... I still have it though, so I will have to try and squeeze it in with all the other books!

Try "Where'd you go, Bernadette?" With your and Alex's love of TV, you'll adore the former-tv-writer ventriloquism. Janet Maslin called it "sheer bliss", and it's even more entertaining than anything on my DVR. Rare to find fiction so fun and gripping that isn't "cheesey" or poorly written. Can't recommend highly enough! Check out Janet Maslin's review (on one of her "nice" days :) ):http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/21/books/janet-maslins-10-favorite-books-of-2012.html

I adore Persepolis! I've read it twice. I think Satrapi is a genius. I'm currently reading The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, her memoir. I'm not usually one for memoirs and I can't yet recommend the book as I'm still reading it. I probably would, but with caution to sensitive readers...

I am with you on so many things, but I just can't agree about Persepolis! Definitely wasn't my cup of tea, but then again this was years ago and I had to read it for school - which might have to do with my disdain for it, but still! Hope to hear your thoughts on Persepolis 2!

How to be Black and Circus Night were my most recent just-for-fun reads. Both were phenomenal - the former in a belly-laugh kind of way, and the latter in a suspenseful, read-in-a-day kind of way. I recommend them both!

I have heard amazing things about Persepolis. Glad you liked it! I just finished Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, which I totally enjoyed and would recommend. Love that she was in the secret service. I also picked up Salman Rushdie's new memoir, Joseph Anton, about how he lived underground with his family for nine years while he was getting death threats based on a book he wrote. Can't wait to read it, just need to find the time in between reading the rest of my books for graduate school (english lit!).

I am avoiding all my usual recommendations for a change, so here's a mish-mash of books I come back to over + over (1+2), books I borrowed from the library this past year (3+4) + books on my bookshelf! (5+6)

I read that one in my second year of college, loved it as well. I recently started 'The Art of Fielding' after a good friend recommended it. I've been reading it so slowly in order to savor it, very subtle emotional roller coaster.

I'm about to get on a long haul flight - loving these book recommendations! My all-time, always recommended books are: The Book ThiefNever Let Me GoExtremely Loud and Incredibly CloseThe Fault in Our Stars (I cried so hard I had to put the book down!)

I also like the divergent books - young adult and a bit silly but a nice easy read (and about to be made into a movie with Kate Winslet!). Oo and one last oldie but a goodie - has anyone read Del Del by Victor Kelleher? I read it when I was young and it scared me to death! I might have to revisit this one soon...

Everything by Orhan Pamuk, Turkish Nobel Prize Winner - I loved "The Museum of Innoncence", a beautiful and tragic love story and he wrote many controversial novels about Turkish history and politics as well, for example "Snow".

I heard good things about Persepolis but I hadn't read it. Maybe I'll have to pick it up now!I just finished Age of Miracles, which was a quick read but really good! I thought the plot was interesting and different. I just started the Happiness Project which I'm enjoying so far, too.

I've never replied to one of your posts, but I feel so compelled to tell you about "Wonder" by RJ Palacio. It is an absolutely beautiful story, and I can't imagine there's a person who's read it that hasn't fallen in love with Auggie.

It's the author's first novel and it may just be my all-time favorite book! Enjoy!

I just read Room by Emma Donaghue at a friend's recommendation, and I could literally not put it down. I read it in 24 hours - to the neglect of getting my week's groceries, laundry, and sleeping! It's the story of a mother and five year-old son, told from the perspective of the little boy. The entire book is heart-wrenching, charming, and completely had me seeing the world as a child again. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Also, two YA novels: The Weight of the Sky and Life, After. Both are books about the Jewish culture. In the first one, the female character travels to Jerusalem to learn about her Jewish culture and finds out much more about herself. The second one is a female character whose life is turned upside down when her parents lose their jobs and have to travel to America and she has to relearn so many things.

It's by no means a new book, but I just read "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. It's (mainly) about a young boy's summer in his small town (not sci-fi at all, despite being by Ray Bradbury). The prose is lovely, and I found the book really touching and beautiful.

How fortuitous! I left a comment yesterday because Im in the middle of a great book by Nora Ephron. Its an easy read, nice before bedtime. It's called "Heartburn" - about a food critic whose seven months pregnant when her husband cheats on her. Its not a tragedy though, its a comedy, as only Nora can spin it. Recipes and satire ensue...

How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran. Joanna, it's hilarious. Stick it out through the first chapter. You will laugh out loud. If you like Girls, and you liked Tina Fey's Bossypants, you can't not love this.shannon

It's about a 18 year old girl who's dad offers her a college education or a sailboat to sail around the world. She sail's around the world by herself and with her cat. She became the first woman and youngest person to sail around the world alone. It's such a good story! (It's a bibliography, recounting her voyage years later).

Samarkand by Amin Maalouf. Like persepolis it was orginially written in French. A fantastic fiction revolving around real life event around the time of Omar Khayyam. A must read for anyone interested in Persian culture.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. The movie adaptation is coming out pretty soon, so I wanted to read the book before seeing it. I finished it in one day, I couldn't put it down! It's basically Romeo and Juliet set after the zombie apocalypse. Not the best selling point I know, but it's beautifully written and thought-provoking. Highly recommend it.

The Quest by Daniel Yergin. It's about how energy and oil in particular have shaped the global politics in the modern era. I also have a couple of other books (http://www.mixnode.com/profile.php?username=nariman&collection=books) except for a few technical ones, the rest I recommend to everyone who enjoys non-fiction (this is the list of my new library, I had a larger one which I donated to the city library last year).

Native Son by Richard Wright. amazing. And because it seems like you're into graphic novels, Watchmen. Easy to dismiss if you're not into superheroes and the very commercial movie- but honestly way more complex than that. Times named it one of the 100 best novels of all time. Native Son is also on that list. Or Out by Natsuo Kirino- so crazy and awesome.

If you're looking for some other outstanding graphic novels, I'd suggest "Fun Home" and "Swallow Me Whole." In "Fun Home," the author looks back on her tense relationship with your late father. "Swallow Me Whole" is a surreal story about adolescent stepsiblings and struggles with schizophrenia.

Just read and loved the Chronicles of Articia. Young adult novel, but great story. Written by a 14 year old girl before she died and finished by her father.http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Articia-Children-Dead/dp/1593307802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359592534&sr=8-1&keywords=k.d.enos